ANNAPOLIS, Md. - The Navy women's soccer team will begin the 2021 portion of its unique two-part 2020-21 season on Sunday with a 12 p.m. home contest against Colgate University. Following a quick change in opponents as their previously foe, the Bucknell Bison, were unable to play this weekend due to campus restrictions at Bucknell, the Mids and Raiders lined up as combatants on Thursday. This newly arranged contest will feature two of the top-three teams in the Patriot League Preseason Poll as Navy, the defending league champion, was picked first, while Colgate was selected third overall in the 10-team league. Members of opposing divisions for this season only, the Mids are in the Patriot League South, while the Raiders are in the Patriot League North, Sunday's game will count in the teams' overall league record, but not in terms of the divisional standings. Kick-off between, Navy and Colgate is set for 12-noon at the Glenn Warner Soccer Facility. Live stats will be available through NavyStats.com.

Attendance Policy for Sunday
Attendance is limited to 200 faculty, staff and midshipmen, who must be masked and socially-distanced. No members of the general public, alumni, parents or sponsors will be permitted unless they fall into the category of faculty, staff or midshipmen.

Last Time on the Pitch (2019 & 2020 Fall Seasons at a Glance)
One of two teams in the Patriot League that were able to play a small number of non-conference games in the fall, Army was the other, Navy comes into its seven-game spring Patriot League season as the defending champions of the conference. In 2019, the Mids went 16-3-3 overall with a 6-1-2 mark in league play. The number one seed and hosts of the Patriot League Tournament, Navy advanced over Loyola in penalty kicks in the semifinals before coming from behind to knock off Army in the finals by a score of 2-1. The Mids concluded their season in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at N.C. State where they were downed by the Wolfpack, 3-0. This past fall, Navy competed in three non-conference games, a home-and-home with Pittsburgh and a road tilt at Virginia Tech. On Sept. 20, the Mids played the Panthers scoreless through 90 minutes before falling in the 96th minute on a penalty kick. Navy rounded out its non-conference slate with a hard-fought 2-1 loss at Virginia Tech on Oct. 24. The Mids received the first career goals from Caitlin Doran and Jenna Daunt during this brief run of play in the fall. 

2020-21 Preseason All-Patriot League Honorees
Accompanying the Patriot League's preseason poll announcement, team captain Kristina Dzhandzhapanyan and Victoria Tran were selected as 12 of the players that were selected to the 2020-21 Preseason All-Patriot League Team. 

Navy vs. Colgate
Saturday will be the 38th meeting between the two schools in a series that began in Navy's second year of varsity existence in 1994 ... In that Oct. 16, 1994 matchup, Colgate took the contest by a 3-0 margin ... The Raiders would build up a 6-0 lead in the series over the first four years before extending the margin out to 9-1 following a postseason win over the Mids in 1999 ... Navy started leveling out the series in the second half of the 00's with five straight wins between 2006 and 2008, including two victories in tournament action ... Since 2013, Navy has posted a 7-1-1 record with wins in four of the last five matchups ... Colgate is Navy's most common opponent in Patriot League Tournament play with 12 contests between the two; the Raiders lead that series, 7-5 ... All-time, Navy leads the series 18-15-5, though Colgate has outscored Navy, 47-42.

Last 5 Matchups:
In the last five matchups dating back to 2016, the Mids are 4-1 and have outscored the Raiders, 8-2
Sept. 21, 2019 (A): Navy 1 - Colgate 0
Oct. 20, 2018 (H): Colgate 1 - Navy 0, 2ot
Nov. 3, 2017 (H): Navy 3 - Colgate 0 (Patriot League Semifinals)
Oct. 21, 2017 (A): Navy 2 - Colgate 1
Nov. 1, 2016 (H): Navy 2 - Colgate 0 (Patriot League Quarterfinals)

Looking Back at Navy-Colgate: Sept. 21, 2019 in Hamilton, N.Y.
Coming off of an 8-1 run of non-conference action, the Navy women's soccer team carried over its winning ways into Patriot League play as the Mids extended their winning streak to eight games with a 1-0 decision over the Colgate Raiders in the Patriot League opener for both teams. In a matchup of two squads that were picked to finish near the top of the conference standings, the Mids received a second half goal by Kristina Dzhandzhapanyan and a critical team save from Kaitlynn Johns off the goal line in the 72nd minute that helped preserve the victory over the Raiders at Beyer-Small '76 Field on the campus of Colgate University.

Following Dzhandzhapanyan's goal at 56:52, the final 33-plus minutes saw Colgate frantically fighting for the game-tying tally and constantly being denied by Navy. This run was punctuated by Johns' play in the 72nd minute when she extended her leg and deflected a Leah Lewis shot on goal off of the line at the tail end of a chaotic corner kick situation. Over the last 18 minutes of play, the Raiders were credited with three shots, including an Adrienne Vaughn strike on goal as time was expiring. Fortunately for the visitors from Annapolis, the Mids' defense stood up against all attempts to secure the 1-0 shutout win.
 
For the game, Colgate outshot Navy, 11-7. The Raiders also held a 4-2 advantage in corner kicks.

Comparing the Teams

	Navy (2019)	Colgate (2019)
Record	16-3-3, 6-1-2 PL	5-9-4, 3-3-3 PL
Goals/Gm	1.27	0.72
Assists/Gm	1.27	0.72
Shots/Gm	15.0	13.9
Goals Against Average	0.52	1.14
GK Saves/Gm	2.2	4.2

Individual Leaders (Returners Only)

	Navy (2019 stats)	Colgate (2019)
Goals	Mang, 5	Four Players, 2
Assists	Dzhandzhapanyan, 4	Diodati, 3
Points	Mang, 10	Diodati, 7
Shots	Mang/Tran, 35	Miller, 27
GK Saves	Swiger, 7	Boggs, 19